Renaming implemented methods for Observer pattern in Java

Question

I'm using the Observable class / Observer interface in Java to implement the observer pattern. The Observer interface requires overwriting the update(Observable o, Object arg) method.

The problem is that I'm observing a fair number of classes, and my update() method has gotten very large:

public class Foo implements Observer {
    ....

    public void update(Observable o, Object param) {
        if (o instanceof A) {
            // large chunk of code
            ...
        } else if (o instanceof B) {
            // large chunk of code
            ...
        }
            ...
        } else if (o instanceof H) {
            ...
        }
    }

}

In order to split up the method, I'm thinking of extending the Observer interface with e.g. AObserver interface, BObserver interface.. which requires overwriting onAUpdate, onBUpdate .. respectively. This method will also make it easy to determine what Observables the class is observing based on the interfaces it's implementing.

class Foo implements AObserver, BObserver {
    ....

    public void onAUpdate(Observable o, Object param) {
        if (o instanceof A) {
        // large chunk of code
        ...
    }

    public void onBUpdate(Observable o, Object param) {
        if (o instanceof B) {
        // large chunk of code
        ...
    }
}

The problem is that if I inherit Observer, I still have to implement the update() method. I can't rename it to onAUpdate or some other name of my choosing.

Any advice? Thanks.

Answer 1

I'll suggest to create an UpdateHandler interface to do the processing for any given code block. Each case can be handle with a map.

Sample code follows:

// Interface to implement for each case
public interface UpdateHandler {
    public void update(Observable source, Object data) ;
}

Add an instance field to your main class as follows:

private Map<Class<?>, UpdateHandler> handlers = new HashMap<Class<?>, Update Handler>();

Create a method to have the handlers initialized

protected void initializeHandler() {
    handler.put(Integer.class, new IntegerUpdateHandler());
    handler.put(String.class, new StringUpdateHandler());
    ...
}

The updates method will simply find the appropriate handler and dispatch the call

public void update(Observable source, Object data)
{
    UpdateHandler handler = handlers.get(data.getClass()) ;
    if (handler == null) 
    {
        // use a default handler ? throw an exception ? your choice ;)
    } else {
        handler.update(source, data) ;
    }
}

This implementation will allow you to add new handler as needed with minimal changes.

Another possible implementation can be done base on the previous work, just a 3 step procedure.

1) Change the declaration of the handlers field.

Map<Class<?>, Class<? extends UpdateHandler>> handlers ;

2) change the initialize method

handlers.put(Integer.class, IntegerInputHandler.class);

3) change the main update method to create a new instance of the provided UpdateHandler implementation.

UpdateHandler handlerInstance = null ;
Class<? extends UpdateHandler> handler = null ;
handler = handlers.get(data.getClass()) ;
...
handlerInstance = handler.newInstance() ;
handlerInstance.update(source, data) ;

Answer 2

Here I coded a raw implementation using observer and visitor pattern. You can take this as an idea to enhance upon it and to fill wherever you see some holes.

public interface IObserver extends Observer {
    public void add(AbstractObservable observable, IObserverVisitor visitor);
    public void remove(AbstractObservable observable);
    public void removeAll();
}

---

public class Observer implements IObserver {

    Map<AbstractObservable, IObserverVisitor> observableMap =
            new HashMap<AbstractObservable, IObserverVisitor>();

    public void add(AbstractObservable observable, IObserverVisitor visitor) {
        observableMap.put(observable, visitor);
    }

    public void remove(AbstractObservable observable) {
        observableMap.remove(observable);
    }

    public void removeAll() {
        observableMap.clear();
    }

    public void update(Observable o, Object arg) {
        observableMap.get(o).visit(this, o, arg);
    }

}

---

public class AbstractObservable extends Observable{

    public synchronized void addObserver(IObserver o, IObserverVisitor visitor) {
        o.add(this, visitor);
        super.addObserver(o);
    }

    public synchronized void deleteObservers(IObserver o) {
        o.removeAll();
        super.deleteObservers();
    }

    public synchronized void deleteObserver(IObserver o) {
        o.remove(this);
        super.deleteObserver(o);
    }

    @Override
    public synchronized void deleteObserver(Observer o) {
        throw new UnsupportedOperationException();
    }

    @Override
    public synchronized void addObserver(Observer o) {
        throw new UnsupportedOperationException();
    }

    @Override
    public synchronized void deleteObservers() {
        throw new UnsupportedOperationException();
    }

    @Override
    public synchronized int countObservers() {
        return super.countObservers();
    }

    @Override
    public synchronized boolean hasChanged() {
        return super.hasChanged();
    }

    @Override
    public void notifyObservers() {
        super.notifyObservers();
    }

    @Override
    public void notifyObservers(Object arg) {
        super.notifyObservers(arg);
    }

    @Override
    protected synchronized void clearChanged() {
        super.clearChanged();
    }

    @Override
    protected synchronized void setChanged() {
        super.setChanged();
    }

}

---

public class Observable1 extends AbstractObservable {
    public void changeSomething() {
      setChanged();
      notifyObservers();
    }
}

---

public class Observable2 extends AbstractObservable {
    public void changeSomething() {
      setChanged();
      notifyObservers();
    }
}

---

public interface IObserverVisitor {
    void visit(IObserver obsrvr, Observable obsrvable, Object o);
}

---

public class ObserverVisitor1 implements IObserverVisitor{

    public void visit(IObserver obsrvr, Observable obsrvable, Object o) {
        System.out.println("updated one");
    }

}

---

public class ObserverVisitor2 implements IObserverVisitor{

    public void visit(IObserver obsrvr, Observable obsrvable, Object o) {
        System.out.println("updated two");
    }
}

---

public class ObserverTest {

    @Test
    public void testAnything() {
        Observable1 obsrvable1 = new Observable1();
        Observable2 obsrvable2 = new Observable2();

        Observer obsrvr = new Observer();
        obsrvable1.addObserver(obsrvr, new ObserverVisitor1());
        obsrvable2.addObserver(obsrvr, new ObserverVisitor2());

        obsrvable1.changeSomething();
        obsrvable2.changeSomething();
    }

}

I hope you are not lost. :)

Answer 3

Move the chunks of code within each condition to appropriately named methods.

public void update(Observable o, Object param) {
    if (o instanceof A) {
         onAUpdate(o, param);
    }

    if (o instanceof B) {
         onBUpdate(o, param);
    }
}

public void onAUpdate(Observable o, Object param) {

    // large chunk of code
}

public void onABUpdate(Observable o, Object param) {

    // large chunk of code
}